1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a preparation which has a health-promoting action, in particular for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders of the digestive tract, more particularly of the intestines.
The application relates in particular to a preparation of this type which contains probiotics and non-digestible oligosaccharides.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known that certain microorganisms have both a prophylactic and a therapeutic effect on intestinal diseases, such as intestinal infections. When these microorganisms are administered to humans or animals they will compete with pathogenic bacteria for nutrients and/or adhesion sites on the intestinal wall, as a result of which the number of pathogenic bacteria will decrease and infections are prevented or reduced. Such microorganisms are generally designated by the term xe2x80x9cprobioticsxe2x80x9d.
If these microorganisms are to have an optimum action they must reach the intestines alive. A further beneficial effect of the administration of live microorganisms to the intestines is, for example, that they are able to ferment the oligosaccharides present in the intestines, whereby, for example, fatty acids with short chains are formed.
In addition it is advantageous on economic grounds if as many microorganisms as possible reach the intestines alive. With the customary preparations which contain probiotics the percentage of microorganisms that reaches the intestines alive is frequently low.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a preparation that contains such probiotics with which a high percentage of the microorganisms administered reaches the intestines alive.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a preparation that can be used for the treatment of disorders of the intestines and/or that can be used for prophylactic treatment of the intestines.
The present invention now relates to a preparation having a health-promoting action, in particular for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders of the digestive tract, more particularly of the intestines, which contains probiotics and non-digestible oligosaccharides.
Without wishing to be tied to any theory, it is assumed that the oligosaccharides form a substrate for the probiotics, as a result of which the likelihood that said microorganisms reach the intestines alive increases and as a result of which the likelihood that they are able, in combination with the oligosaccharides present in the intestines, to exert their beneficial action increases. The oligosaccharides could therefore also be designated as xe2x80x9cprebioticsxe2x80x9d.